Fultz Has Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

Good news, 76ers fans. Well, maybe. We finally might know what’s wrong with second-year guard Markelle Fultz. But that’s where the good news is. Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Fultz’s agent), the former top pick has been diagnosed with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. Let’s just say that this is less than ideal.

His agent did have more to say, however, per Woj. And guess what? He’s right. No matter what you want to think, Fultz isn’t right. But the 76ers really haven’t been good about dealing with it.

Raymond Brothers: “People were saying it was a mental problem and it is not. There’s no way you’re the No. 1 pick in the world and all of a sudden you aren’t able to consistently raise your arms to shoot …" Something is physically wrong. Now we have the answer to that problem.” https://t.co/SaO7TvldbW

So for now, Fultz is out for multiple weeks. But that’s not the point. It’s all about getting him healthy enough to actually contribute. Otherwise, he’s going to go the way of Nerlens Noel (6th overall in 2013) and Jahlil Okafor (3rd overall in 2015) in terms of productivity. The 76ers now have Jimmy Butler on their roster. With him playing next to Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, that’s plenty of star-power. But they’re losing depth by the week. Fultz is just another piece of that puzzle. He doesn’t have to be a star. At this point, they would just like him to contribute.

Right now, he’s nowhere near doing so. Hopefully he can get back on track over the next few weeks. At this point, that’s going to be a long climb back to the top.